Animation Degradation

These two images are from the Miyazaki film Totoro. However, the use of light in the two images gives them both drastically different feelings, moods, and meanings. The first image is drenched in sunlight and conveys a mood of joy. The bright actions of the characters is indicative of the surroundings and the lack of shadow represents a lack of mystery among the characters as well. By presenting a setting in such high lighting we are able to feel at ease with the actions which occur in the scene and the emotions of the characters are conveyed better, especially the ecstatic emotions of a scene such as this one, which involves such enthusiastic outbursts of ecstasy. The other image on the other hand is from a very different portion of the movie in which the characters are still discovering the mysteries of the depicted world. The use of shadow in the lighting helps to perpetuate a feeling of mystery and a general sense of unease in the viewers mind. By obscuring the Totoro creature a sense of interest and fear is cultivated in the eye of the one watching the film. the mood is far darker here and the darkness in the middle ground and background is reflective of that fact. The little girl is kept completely in the light in order to make her seem more innocent and vulnerable. The use of light here creates tension. The colors in the two scenes is very important as well. The bright and highly saturated colors in the first image contrast strongly with the dimmed hues of the second. The second image uses many muted colors to convey a sense of unease and worry, whereas the first image uses vibrant colors to express a feeling of joy. The brightness is toned way up in the first image and way down in the second. Both images use very strong hues, but the saturation creates completely different vibes. The lighting and the color really work in tandem here as far as mood goes. By increasing the use of color in the first image and severely underplaying the use of color in the second image, while greatly increasing the contrast of lighting and shadow in the second image while severely underplaying the use of shadow and lighting in the first image, the overall contrast is greatly intensified, as much by what is left out of the images as what is put in.